To associate a contact with the end of a cable, it is known to crimp a contact upon the end portion of the cable in order to make an electric connection of the cable with the contact. Then, it is provided to crimp the contact on a stripped part of the end portion of the cable, i.e. on the core of the cable. Such crimping operation is called an “electric crimping”.
For certain cables, more particularly those, the core of which is made up of aluminium, making a second crimping of the contact on the end portion of the cable on a part where the sheath is present can also be provided. As a matter of fact, in the case of a cable, the core of which is made of aluminium, an oxidation of the core may occur when in contact with air or moisture which may affect the efficiency of the electric contact because of the creation of resistive materials such as alumina during the oxidation reaction. Then, the crimping of the contact on the cable sheath also called a “sealing crimping” is also provided in order to prevent the penetration of air or moisture to the stripped core of the cable.
Both crimping operations may be carried out using a unique tool making it possible to crimp on the one hand the contact on the stripped core of the cable and on the other hand the contact on the sheath of the cable. Document WO-2006/012979 more particularly describes such a unique tool.
In the embodiments of the prior art, the tool is a hand tool of the pliers type comprising crimping means rotatingly operated about the contact and the end portion of the cable. The crimping means are separated into first crimping means making it possible to carry out the electric crimping and second crimping means making it possible to carry out the sealing crimping. Such a tool makes it possible to carry out both crimpings in one operation.
However, the simultaneous activation in rotation of the first and second crimping means implies the deployment of a very important effort from the tool operator, which makes the tool not very practical to use. More particularly, the energy curve of the effort applied by the crimping means shows a high peak of energy during the rotation motion which reduces the lifetime of the tool because of the premature wearing resulting from such peak of energy.